Fuel-fired portable heaters such as forced-air heaters find use in multiple environments. Typically, this type of heater includes a cylindrically-shaped housing with a combustion chamber disposed coaxially therein. A combustible fuel (e.g., liquid or gas fuel) stored in a proximate fuel storage can be mixed with air inside the combustion chamber where it is combusted, resulting in the generation of a flame. During combustion of the air/fuel mixture a fan blade is rotated by an electric motor to draw ambient air into the heater to be heated by the combustion of the air/fuel mixture. The heated air is expelled out of the heater by the continuous influx of air caused by the fan.
Forced-air heaters typically have a source of electric energy to energize the motor that rotates the fan blade and optionally to operate an ignition source that triggers combustion of the air/fuel mixture. The demand for electrical energy created by operation of the fan and other electrical components of forced-air heaters usually means that the heater is connected to an external electricity source, such as a conventional wall outlet supplying alternating current (“AC”) electrical energy generated by a public utility. In remote environments, the use of a portable generator to supply the electrical energy is often utilized.